James K. Polk

Mr. President

Texas, page 2

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On December 31, 1845 a revolution in Mexico brought Mariano Paredes
to power. Polk hoped he would bring a more constructive approach
to the bargaining table. The American negotiator had been rejected
by the previous Mexican government because his credentials said
that he was a minister and the government had requested a commissioner.
Polk also hoped the problems of holding together a revolutionary
government would help keep Paredes concerned with internal problems
and push him towards quickly settling the external disputes. However,
Paredes did nothing of the sort and sent the American minister
back to the U.S.

Polk ordered a naval force off the Mexican coast and General Zachary
Taylor moved his army up to the bank of the Rio Grande which Polk
claimed as the Texas-Mexico border, although it was about 100 miles
past the commonly accepted border of Mexico and Texas. On March
24, 1846 Taylor arrived at the Rio Grande, opposite the Mexican
town of Matamoras. Two weeks later, the Mexican general on the
other side of the river informed Taylor that his presence was an
act of war. The situation quickly spiraled out of control, as the
two governments refused to open lines of communication and the situation
escalated too quickly for communication with the capitals to be
relevant. The Mexican general insisted that Taylor withdraw within
twenty-four hours or face attack. Taylor accepted and moved to
blockade the Rio Grande, an undeniable act of war. Mexico asked
Taylor to lift the blockade, and when Taylor again refused to comply,
they were left with the choice of leaving the soldiers in Matamoras
to starve or fight their way out. On April 23, Paredes declared
that a state of war existed. War had begun. Unfortunately, due
to the lack of fast communications, Polk was not aware of any of
these happenings until May 9.

The same day Parades declared war a country away, Congress nullified
the joint occupation treaty with England in regards to the Oregon
territory. Polk had waited impatiently for weeks. In doing so,
he proffered that, with the Senate's okay, he would still compromise
on the 49th parallel. England quickly agreed to the compromise
and on June 16, 1846, Polk announced to his cabinet the Senate's
concurrence with the proposal and on August 5, the Senate ratified
the new border with England–the border that remains to this day.

On Saturday, May 9, Polk finally received word of the
Mexican War. He quickly prepared a message to Congress to be delivered
on Monday, May 11. The House followed the president's message by declaring
war on Mexico, but the Senate held up passage until Tuesday evening.
The Secretary of War immediately dispatched General Winfield Scott,
the highest-ranking army officer, to the war but Scott, a politician
to the core, was reluctant to leave Washington. Polk wanted the
war prosecuted as quickly as possible, and he asked the Senate to
promote Taylor to head of the army.

Polk's approach to the war differed from that of his fellow
politicians. He saw it as something to be won quickly and as painlessly as
possible, while most others approached it as a way to reward old friends
with commissions and command positions. Polk announced, however,
that commissions would be granted based on competence and would
be split between Democrats and Whigs. This announcement bolstered
a growing resentment towards Polk's fairness among other Democrats,
who had hoped for the spoils of past administrations. In return,
Polk found his measures blocked by angry congressmen and his proposals
tied up in parliamentary procedure on Capital Hill.

Meanwhile, the war progressed. Polk assigned Spanish-speaking Catholic
priests to the Army so that they could pacify the Mexicans during
the coming invasion by explaining the U.S.'s respect of the Church.
The Mexican leader Santa Anna, exiled to Cuba after Parades's revolution,
came to the U.S. with an offer of support: If allowed back to Mexico
and restored to power, he would gladly sell New Mexico and California
to the U.S. But when the U.S. government helped Santa Anna back
into Mexico and he restored himself to power, he promptly rejected
the U.S. appeals.